


From sour to sweet

by weilongfu



Series: My Engineer Nymph!AU [2]
Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Nymph!Duen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24395164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weilongfu/pseuds/weilongfu
Summary: Bohn meets a nymph who seems about as sour as the cherries on his tree, but it only takes some time to realize how sweet they really are. (The cherries and the nymph of course.)
Relationships: Bohn/Duen (My Engineer)
Series: My Engineer Nymph!AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761553
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	From sour to sweet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [earthfluuke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthfluuke/gifts).
  * Inspired by [of orchids and cherry blossoms](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23438713) by [earthfluuke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthfluuke/pseuds/earthfluuke). 



Bohn sighed as the air of the open fields filled his lungs. Sarawat, Earn, and even Ram had been taking far too many trips out into the fields and forests for scouting, swapping chances with others, or just going out for painting in the case of Earn. It left Bohn with very little to do, even if he’d willingly traded away his spots before. But now, after months of being too cooped up and doing nothing, it felt good to stretch his legs and be outside in the wilderness again.

Bohn let his hands pass over tall grass, scattering barely ready seeds back onto the ground. He pulled an apple from a tree, letting the tart sweetness roll over his tongue with every bite. This was followed by a juicy pear and an almost too sour handful of cherries.

But in his wandering of the cluster of fruit trees, he found another young man sleeping among them. His face was peaceful and sweet. And also completely unmindful of the biggest lizard Bohn had ever seen slowly approaching. 

“Hey!” Bohn leaned over him and tried to shake the other boy awake. The tunic the boy wore felt like satin to the touch as Bohn gripped it to continue shaking him. “Hey, wake up, we need to go!”

Bohn moved to give the boy one more shake before bright eyes snapped wide open and a fist landed square on his cheekbone. The boy huffed and stood up, as if to give Bohn a larger piece of his mind before Bohn twisted the boy’s face to the side.

“Look!”

Something akin to a yelp escaped the boy’s lips before he scampered back up into the trees and disappeared. Bohn recovered his wits and also climbed the tree, but the boy was nowhere to be found. 

“What in the world…” Bohn looked around in confusion before those same eyes were in his face again and he found himself unceremoniously shoved off the tree. “OW!”

\------

Later that night, Sarawat and Ram winced as they watched Bohn hobble into the tavern the scouts usually frequented. The skin around his eye was turning dark and the slow pace that he walked at was particularly painful. The two shared a commiserating look and tapped glasses before acting as if nothing happened. 

\------

It would be a week later, the purple around Bohn’s eye turning a mottled green, before Bohn returned to the wilds. As Bohn passed by the sour cherries, he saw a hand reach down from the branches to pluck another cluster of them. Already, a pile of seeds littered the ground below. Bohn peered up through the branches to find the same boy that had punched him was munching away on the sour fruit.

“Hey!” Bohn pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You owe me an apology!”

The boy blinked and looked left and right before pointing at himself.

“Yes, you.” Bohn pointed at his eye. “I tried to help you, and this was how you thanked me. And you even pushed me off the tree!”

The boy pouted and Bohn, for the briefest of moments, was tempted to forget all about his grievances. At least until the boy climbed down and soft, gentle hands were caressing the sensitive skin around his eye. It was almost soothing. And with the boy’s face up close, Bohn could see the mole on the tip of his nose and found himself suddenly wanting to kiss it. But after a gentle poke to the bruised skin, Bohn hissed and the boy pulled back.

“It hurts! You have to take responsibility,” Bohn told him. 

The boy scratched his nose and plucked some more cherries and offered them to Bohn. Bohn accepted, but wagged his finger. 

“You have to say sorry,” Bohn said firmly. 

The boy pointed at his open mouth and then shook his head. 

“Then… how do you propose saying sorry to me?”

The boy pointed at the cherries Bohn had already accepted. 

“That’s not enough. If you’re only going to pick fruit for me, then... you should pick me something every day until the rest of this,” Bohn waved his hand over his whole body, “Heals.” Bohn extended his hand. “Do we have an agreement?”

The boy huffed and pouted, but put his hand in Bohn’s. Bohn fought the urge to smile at the adorably put off expression. 

“I’m Bohn. What’s your name?”

Words without sound. A thought heard without speaking. A meeting of the eyes, lighter brown meeting darker. And when the wind rustled through the trees, a name floated to the top of Bohn’s mind.

“Duen? Your name is Duen?”

Duen nodded furiously before plucking another bunch of cherries and thrusting them into Bohn’s face. Bohn sputtered and fell back, yelping in pain and Duen winced once more. 

“Yes, you have to give me fruit until that heals too,” Bohn moaned from the ground. 

Duen only blinked and sadly popped another sour cherry into his mouth.

\------

The next time Bohn came around, Duen thrust a small wicker basket of cherries and apples into Bohn’s arms and his expression was entirely remorseful. Bohn ran his hands over the basket, clearly made with care. The cherries were so dark, they almost shined purple and burst with a deliciously sweet juice inside. The apples were vibrant red, green, and yellow, firm and crisp when bitten. 

“Hey, no need to look like that.” Bohn nudged Duen with his elbow, but Duen continued to pout anyway. Bohn sighed. “Okay, how about every time you give me fruit, I’ll bring you something too. Then it’s not an apology gift. It’s a trade. How about that?”

Duen’s eyes lit up and Bohn had to blink when faced with the full brunt of his smile. It was like seeing the sun after living in the dark. And now that he’d seen it, Bohn wasn’t so sure he could live without seeing it again and again. Duen then stuck out his hands making grabby motions. Bohn shook himself out of his thoughts and dug through his things until he pulled out a slightly worn tin from his pack. Duen leaned in to peer at it as Bohn shook it and it rattled as if something hard was inside. 

“Ah, so there are some left, huh.” Bohn popped the tin open and three spheres of slightly faded purplish-red candy rolled about inside. “Here, you like the sour cherries, right? The ones that grow in that tree? These are candies made with the juice. They’re called sour candies.” 

Duen carefully pinched one between his fingers and rolled it between his hands. He even tried to squish it like a cherry, but it didn’t yield. 

“Go on, try it. Just don’t-” 

There was a hard crack as Duen bit into the candy as hard as possible before spitting it out in pain. Duen made another sad face as he rubbed his teeth through his cheek. 

“Oh you silly little… They’re not soft like cherries! You have to suck on them first.” Bohn put one in his mouth and showed Duen as the candy slowly melted away in his mouth bit by bit. “See? Like that.”

Duen wearily took the last remaining one and popped it into his mouth like Bohn did and moved it into his cheek. Soon his face lit up in joy. 

“There, see? It’s much better like that, right?”

Duen nodded happily and then took the tin only to find none left. He turned it over and shook it, only displacing crumbled bits of candy into his hand. Despite the candy in his mouth, Duen’s pout was still effective and Bohn had to look away.

“Alright, alright, next time I’ll bring you more pieces since you only had one today. Fair?”

Duen nodded and then tugged on Bohn’s arm, leading him back to the sour cherry tree.

“Huh? Why are…” 

Duen jumped up and pulled himself into the branches and seemingly disappeared under the foliage. Bohn peered up into it and couldn’t find a trace. He rested a hand on the trunk and something like a giggle ran across his mind.

“This is your tree… You are a tree… You’re a nymph…” Bohn lifted his hand from the trunk gently. “So that’s why you don’t talk.” 

Duen reappeared, sticking his head out from the top of the tree and extended a hand. 

“You want me to join you up there?”

Duen nodded and opened his mouth only to shut it quickly as he felt the candy about to fall out. 

“Are you sure?” 

Duen’s face turned a little bit serious in contemplation, but he nodded again. Much more gently than the first time he had climbed up the tree, Bohn pulled himself up and sat on a sturdy branch. Duen appeared on one higher up and snatched an apple from Bohn’s gift basket. Bohn opened his mouth to object, but then Duen’s smile came back and Bohn found the protest evaporating like puddles in the sun.

\------

The next time Bohn came by Duen’s tree, Bohn immediately shook the brand new tin of candies. Like a trained response, Duen’s head appeared out of the branches before he jumped out and tackled Bohn into the ground. 

“Ow.” 

Bohn shifted his body as Duen snatched up the tin and held it aloft in triumph. Backlit by the morning sun, Duen looked particularly radiant. He struggled for a moment to pull the lid open, but then shoved two candies into his mouth. 

“Hey, go easy on that. It’s not that easy to come by.” Bohn tried to pull the tin away, but Duen sat firmly on his chest and held it away. “Don’t cry to me if you eat it all before I come back next time.”

Duen simply smiled and got up before helping Bohn up and thrusting a new basket into his arms. This time strawberries and blueberries were rolling about inside amidst yellow peaches and dark plums. 

“Thank you, Duen.” Bohn hooked the basket onto his arm and dusted himself off. He tousled Duen’s hair despite the nymph’s objections and started to walk off, but soon heard footsteps following him. Bohn turned around and Duen only blinked at him, a few paces behind. “Are you following me?” 

Duen only blinked and shrugged.

“Don’t you have… nymph things to do? Do nymphs have important nymph things to do?”

Duen cocked his head. 

Bohn sighed. “Okay. Come along. I’m exploring that ridge over there today.”

Duen latched on to Bohn’s arm and pulled him along. As they walked Duen pointed at many things. Bohn tried to find the pattern in it all, that maybe something was noteworthy or rare. Instead, Duen simply found beauty and enjoyment in lots of things. The color of a particular rock, the curve of a flower petal, and even the odd shape of a branch. If a bird sang a particularly beautiful note, Duen pointed it out. If the sun cast a funny shadow through branches and rocks, Duen pointed at it too.

Bohn quickly found that while all those things were pretty in their own way, nothing was as pretty as Duen’s expression as he noticed them all. 

\------

Bohn walked up the hill quietly to surprise Duen. But today, after weeks of coming up to see Duen alone, it seemed that Duen was talking with friends. For a given degree of talking. The chittering and clicking sounds that Bohn overheard were a language all their own. Surrounding Duen were two other male nymphs. One taller than the rest with light brown hair and tan skin. His smile was awfully cheery. The other had the longest hair out of the bunch that fell just to the ends of his ears and it was just as dark as Duen’s. He was also just a bit shorter than Duen. 

Duen waved his hands about as he talked and the other two just leveled him with unimpressed stares. Their comments back also seemed to carry the tone of the kind of advice friends provided after hearing the same complaints over and over. 

This didn’t seem to please Duen and he pouted and whined, but the other two just shook their heads and messed with his hair. Bohn tried to edge closer, but stopped when he stepped on a twig. In a flash, the other two disappeared as if they’d never been there and Duen was left pouting on his own. 

Bohn soon ran up and greeted Duen before offering him another tin of candy as had become custom. But no matter how brightly Duen smiled at him, Bohn couldn’t help the spike of jealousy at seeing Duen with others that he didn’t know. 

Clearing his throat, Bohn set down his pack and leaned against Duen’s tree. “So… were those…” Duen stopped stuffing his face with candy and turned to look at Bohn. “Uh… Were those other nymphs?”

Duen blinked and then nearly choked on his mouthful of several candies. Bohn reached over to pat him on the back to clear his throat. 

“Are they not nymphs? Are you talking with other humans?”

Duen furiously shook his head and then pointed to himself while nodding.

“So they are nymphs. Are they… are they friends? Really good friends?”

Duen nodded again very quickly.

“So…” Bohn bit his lip. “Are you… seeing one of them?”

Duen blinked and cocked his head in confusion.

“You know like… do you… like one of them?”

Duen blinked again before gasping out airy laughs without sound. The few remaining candies in his mouth tumbled out. Duen furiously shook his head no as he doubled over.

“So…” Bohn fiddled with his fingers and the hem of his shirt. “Do you have someone you like?”

At that Duen immediately stopped. He looked up at Bohn and his face turned pink. 

“You do? Who is it?”

Duen’s eyes turned panicked and before Bohn could get a proper reply, Duen snatched up his candies and disappeared.

Bohn looked around and then up the tree. “Was it something I said?!”

\------

Bohn got his answer the next time he came to see Duen, which was after a month. Sarawat and Ram had been greedy and taken up all the available slots to leave for any decent length of time. All other jobs around had kept Bohn inside the village walls. 

Bohn had walked within two meters of Duen’s tree before he was tackled to the ground. Duen’s shaking body was a surprisingly warm and heavy weight on top of his chest. Bohn carefully put his hands on Duen’s shoulders. 

“Hey… Hey… Are you okay?” Bohn dared to even stroke the back of Duen’s head, his fingers passing through the silky strands easily. “It has been a while, hasn’t it? I didn’t think you’d miss me so much.”

At that, Duen lifted his head, face blotchy and eyes red with frustrated tears. Bohn felt a pang in his heart for hurting such a beautiful creature. Duen pounded on Bohn’s chest with firm fists, almost knocking the air out of his lungs.

“Oof… Ow! What did I do?” This only served to exacerbate the level of attack Duen used until Bohn caught Duen’s hands and held them still. “You really did miss me.” Bohn searched Duen’s shining eyes carefully. “Did you miss your candy fix? Was that it?”

Duen shook his head no and tried to pull his hands out of Bohn’s grip. 

“So it was me. You missed me for real.” Bohn licked his lips. Duen’s eyes followed the motion. “That last thing I asked you…” Bohn felt his heart thump painfully. “The last thing I asked you before I didn’t see you for a while… Is it about that?”

Duen looked away, but by his posture, Bohn knew he’d hit the right answer.

Bohn took a deep breath and pressed on. “You know… When I was away… I was really mad.” 

Duen quickly turned back to look at Bohn. 

“The entire month… I couldn’t come see the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Bohn continued to look up at Duen, his eyes wide and reverent. “He’s so cute and pretty. When he smiles it’s like seeing the sun. When he laughs, even if I don’t hear anything, I love the way his whole body laughs. I want to make him laugh like that all the time. 

“And the thing I regret the most is not being able to tell him that I hope he doesn’t like anyone. 

“Because I want to make him like me first.”

Duen’s lips wobbled once more, but his eyes remained dry. This time his wrists were easily released from Bohn’s grip and he weakly punched Bohn’s chest one more time. 

“Do you know who it is?” Bohn didn’t move to defend himself. “If you’re punching me like that, you must know.”

Duen scrubbed at his face and nodded. 

“So… What’s your reply?”

Duen grasped his fists in Bohn’s shirt and shook him for a moment before hugging him as tight as possible. Bohn let himself chuckle just a bit before putting his arms around Duen.

“Thank you,” Bohn whispered into Duen’s hair. “Thank you so much… I’m so happy…”

Duen only nuzzled further into Bohn’s chest.

“I guess… you must be happy too, huh?” Bohn reached behind him and dragged his bag over. “Would it make it even better if I said I asked for time to camp out here tonight too?” Bohn reached inside and pulled out something. “I even brought a pillow to sleep on.”

Duen poked the pillow and his face lit up. Bohn allowed him to take it and Duen squeezed it, his expression improving with each attempt. Duen then nuzzled his face into it and breathed deeply. Bohn chuckled and tried to take the pillow back, but Duen refused to budge. Instead, he gave Bohn a mournful look.

“I guess I don’t really need a pillow tonight…”

\------

“Duen please, that’s the tenth pillow you’ve taken from me in a month,” Bohn whined as Duen immediately reached into his bag and snatched up the pillow like a precious treasure. “What am I supposed to sleep on?”

Duen smiled and grabbed Bohn’s hand, leading him away from the cherry tree and up to several rock formations. Duen led him into an opening and before long, the space opened up into a comfortable moderately sized cave. Light filtered in through a hole in the top. Away in a corner was a pile of all the pillows Duen had seized atop a pile of soft looking straw and grass. In another corner were baskets of fruits and tins of candy that Duen had to have been hoarding. 

“Is this… Have you been making yourself a kind of nest?” 

Duen nodded and then shoved Bohn into the pile of pillows. It was much softer and more comfortable than Bohn expected. Duen jumped on top of him and snuggled up close. Bohn carefully put his arm around Duen. 

“This… This is pretty nice.” 

Bohn could feel Duen’s smile against his sternum.

“So you mean to say, whenever I stay out, you want me to stay here? With you?”

Duen nodded against Bohn’s chest. 

“Okay. I could do that.” Bohn wiggled a bit to settle down further. “Maybe I should bring you some blankets?”

Duen gave Bohn a look of intrigue.

“Okay, I guess I know what I’m bringing next time.”

Duen pouted and tugged on Bohn’s sleeve.

“Yeah, okay, fine, I promise I’ll bring another pillow.”

\------

The river stretched out before them as Bohn waded deeper into the water. Duen splashed along behind him, cooing at things he saw in the water and tugging at Bohn’s shirt when he wanted him to look. Every so often, the soft chitter chatter that Bohn had taken to be the talk of nymphs would rise and fall in his ear, but Bohn could tell it wasn’t directed at him. Could rivers have nymphs too? Was he being disrespectful by wading into it? Duen hadn’t stopped him so Bohn had pressed on all the same.

Somewhere to his right, a patch of water lilies and lotuses sprung up, startling Bohn with their colors and fragrance. From somewhere else, the faint strains of two guitars were carried on the wind. Bohn knew the song. It was one Sarawat had been writing for a while. 

Bohn turned to look at Duen who was now trying to catch dragonflies as they skimmed the water’s surface. Their excursion into the water had caused Duen’s tunic to stick to his skin and despite the chill of the water around them, Bohn felt his cheeks grow warm. 

He knew Duen was lovely. He’d felt the planes of Duen’s body with his hands as they cuddled many times over the last few months. Had memorized every curve and dip of his face. Could find every freckle and mole on it blindfolded. Even the texture of Duen’s fingertips was something he knew clearly. But asking for more, or even a kiss, was tricky. At least to Bohn. 

Bohn wasn’t even sure nymphs liked to kiss.

But the mood felt right with the soft light of the late afternoon sun glistening off the slow moving river water and the strains of guitar on the air. Bohn plucked a lotus and walked up to Duen, sticking it behind his ear. Duen’s expression turned pleased as he felt the lotus flower petals with his fingertips. 

Bohn’s hand trailed down to cup Duen’s cheek, thumb stroking over his delicate cheekbone. Duen put his hand over it and nuzzled into Bohn’s palm.

“You’re really too beautiful, you know that right?”

Duen blinked.

“It’s been really hard. I keep wanting to show you how beautiful I think you are.”

Duen’s fingers tightened just a bit on Bohn’s hand, but his eyes were clear. Anticipation, not nerves or dislike. Bohn stepped a bit closer, Duen’s eyes widened, his pupils dilating just a bit. 

“Your lips are pinker than the flowers of your tree. Your skin is softer than the petals.” Bohn ran his thumb along Duen’s plump bottom lip. “I want to kiss you so bad.” Bohn drew closer still. Duen’s breaths were loud in his ear. Or maybe they were his own. “One taste, and I think I could die happy.” 

Duen didn’t push him away. Bohn’s lips hovered closer to their target.

“I want to kiss you,” Bohn murmured, barely audible over the sound of the river. “Please let me kiss you.”

Duen didn’t move, still frozen like a deer that had been spotted. 

Bohn closed the distance, his warm lips covering Duen’s. They were not sweet nor sour to the taste like Duen’s preferred fruits and foods. They were simple and unassuming, beautiful and splendid in their own way. Just like Duen.

Bohn moved his lips to nip at Duen’s bottom lip, but this seemed to wake the nymph and Bohn found himself shoved into the water. From under the surface, Bohn watched as Duen’s face turned red and he scrubbed at his cheeks. Bohn emerged, sputtering and confused.

“Was… Was that not okay? Do nymphs not kiss?” Bohn stood up and hovered, keeping a distance. “Duen?” Bohn carefully rested a hand on Duen’s shoulder. “Duen, I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t know nymphs don’t like kissing.” 

Duen remained silent.

“Should I go? Would you like it if I left?” Bohn moved to walk away. “I’ll go if that’s what you want.”

At that Duen’s head snapped up and he shook his head before pulling Bohn in closer and kissing him himself. 

\------

“Do you not like it?” Bohn frowned as Duen ran his hands around the flower crown he’d presented to him. “I grew the flowers myself at home. I thought… I thought you’d like something pretty for once.”

Tears sprung up in the corners of Duen’s eyes. Bohn immediately ran over to the growing pile of pillows and blankets in their little cave to console him. 

“Hey, hey, I didn’t know you don’t like these flowers. If you want, I’ll make you another one! A better one! With different flowers!” Bohn soothingly rubbed Duen’s arms and shoulders. “Hey, don’t cry. I didn’t… Duen?”

Duen placed the crown down carefully and stormed out of the cave.

“Duen?” Bohn ran after him, but there was no trace of him after he came to the cave entrance. “Duen?!”

Bohn searched all their usual spots and haunts. Then he searched the ones they didn’t usually go to. If curious eyes from afar seemed to follow him, also usually set in pairs, Bohn didn’t notice. Instead, Bohn ran himself ragged looking for Duen, barely managing to crawl back to their cave as the sun set. 

Bohn collapsed into their pillow pile just as Duen returned. The sight of Duen, unharmed and safe, sent a wave of relief through him, but also one last burst of frustrated energy.

“Duen!” Bohn pulled himself to his feet. “Where have you been?” Bohn ran his hands over Duen to check him even as Duen kept his own hands behind his back. “Where did you go? Are you okay?”

When Bohn had stopped his flurry of questions, he finally noticed the pink color to Duen’s cheeks before something was thrust on to his head. 

“This is…” Bohn carefully ran his hand along tender blossoms that lined the crown upon his head. “This is… you made one for me?”

Duen pouted and walked over to retrieve the one Bohn had made for him and handed it to Bohn. 

“You want me to put it on you?”

Duen nodded.

Bohn carefully arranged Duen’s hair before placing the crown on his head. “Beautiful. Just like you.” 

At last Duen smiled and kissed Bohn softly, but his hands were tightly fisted in Bohn’s shirt.

“So now we match.” Bohn murmured against Duen’s lips. “But I wanted to take you around today… How should we spend tonight?”

Duen pecked Bohn’s lips once more before shoving him back into the pillow pile.

“Cuddling?”

Duen fell on top of Bohn, carefully inserting a leg between Bohn’s and hitching his thigh up. Bohn’s throat bobbed with the force of his swallow.

“Duen? Uh… Could you shift your leg?”

Duen tilted his head and instead shifted his thigh up higher until it pressed against Bohn’s crotch.

“M-maybe in the other direction?”

Duen shook his head and dipped down, his lips skimming the new territory of Bohn’s throat. 

“Y-you know we r-really don’t have to…” 

Duen bit down on the skin between his lips.

“Oh….” 

\------

In the shade of Duen’s cherry tree, Bohn fed Duen another sour cherry. The nymph sighed and kissed Bohn’s fingertips before turning around to kiss Bohn’s cheek. Then Duen kissed Bohn’s nose and the underside of Bohn’s jaw. Bohn chuckled and pinched Duen’s cheek. Duen pouted and tugged on Bohn’s hand.

“I know,” Bohn said as he kissed Duen’s temple. “I know. And I love you too.”


End file.
